4 Tips to Stay Creative when the Inspiration Just Isn’t There

When it comes to creating visual content for a client, the intention is to always make something that sets itself apart so it gets the high levels of engagement that we all covet. Unfortunately, us right brained folk go through times when we don’t feel like we’re living up to our artistic potential. I recently attended an event hosted by Boston Content, to chat with others about this exact feeling. Here are a few takeaways that may help out when you get the imaginative writer’s block.

Create (and continuously check) Your Holy Grail of Creativity

For me, these places include the Vimeo Staff Picks, motionographer.com, YouTube channels of motion graphics experts, and definitely Instagram. They allow me to quickly check out what people in my field are creating, as well as what’s trendy at the moment. It helps that these spots are curated so I don’t have to spend much time finding something that may inspire me. I’m willing to bet that your cloud security clients aren’t checking in on these, so looking at a tutorial for a crafty animation technique and then tweaking it to your client’s branding can help wow them without making you feel like your brain is melting.

Maintain Your Confidence, Even Through the Dullest of Days

The reason your company hired you is because of your skillset, attitude, and potential. This is something to keep in mind, especially when you receive a laundry list of constructive criticism on a project that you thought was some of your better work. Some people will keep a folder in their email of all the positive feedback from clients, and go through it when it seems like a current project is running around in circles with no end in sight. It helps clear the mind, and keep you aware of why you chose this career path in the first place. For me, the “clearing of the mind” usually involves a mid day pit stop at the variety store near to our office for gummy bears or a cup of soup.

Find Out What’s Inspiring Your Coworkers and Peers

Sure, some of these people you wouldn’t find yourself hanging out with on the weekend, but it helps to see what is catching your colleagues’ eye. Here at matter, we have created a “cool creative” email alias that anyone in the company can sign up for. Instead of sending along marketing trends, or the latest study on consumerism amongst millennials, your might see an explainer video for a carrot, or perhaps an infographic of celebrities first pitches at MLB games. The content of what’s sent in these emails just has to be something cool and creative (hence the alias name) and doesn’t have to have anything to do with work.

Drink Coffee

Lots of it. Hot, iced, it doesn’t matter. Try to save those double shots of espresso for the days when you really need a boost, instead of making it part your everyday java routine. I think we can all agree that by some principle of divine intervention, coffee makes you more creative.

Editors’ Note: “The Business of Content Creation” was hosted by Boston Content and broken into sessions. Check out some other takeaways in these Matter blog posts:

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